"Brad Ferguson - To Tell The Troof" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ferguson Brad)

ilantha.тАЭ
тАЬHe is?тАЭ
тАЬCertainly,тАЭ Haraska said emphatically. тАЬSelf-evident. All Terrans
ilantha before you come.тАЭ
Edith thought about that. тАЬSo why am I different?тАЭ
Haraska told her тАФ explaining it as if Edith were a child, which on
Troof she was тАФ and, gradually, Edith got it.
Edith hurried back to St. PolycarpтАЩs. She found McAleer in his study,
behind his desk. He smiled at her as she entered.
тАЬHi,тАЭ he said. тАЬEnjoy yourself at the market?тАЭ
тАЬYes. Look, IтАЩve been talking to some of the Troof тАФ тАЭ
тАЬYou have? You mean, besides Zweebl?тАЭ
тАЬOf course I mean besides Zweebl!тАЭ
McAleer looked surprised. тАЬWell, thatтАЩs fine. IтАЩm even a bit jealous тАФ тАЭ
тАЬCan I go on, please?тАЭ Edith broke in. тАЬThis is important.тАЭ
тАЬPlease do.тАЭ
Edith seated herself. тАЬEver hear the words yerega and ilantha?тАЭ
тАЬHere and there. The Troof seem to use them to cuss and fume at each
other.тАЭ
тАЬWell, theyтАЩre not curses. TheyтАЩre the names of sects. Religious sects.тАЭ
McAleerтАЩs eyes widened. тАЬThey canтАЩt be,тАЭ he said. тАЬThereтАЩs no native
religion here.тАЭ
тАЬThere sure as hell is,тАЭ Edith returned. тАЬIn fact, in this area, there are
two. OneтАЩs pretty big, and oneтАЩs fairly small тАФ but both are active and
vital, and everyoneтАЩs a true believer in one or the other. No agnostics or
atheists here.тАЭ
тАЬBut Zweebl says тАФ тАЭ
тАЬZweebl is ilantha,тАЭ Edith said flatly.
McAleer blinked. тАЬAll right. So whatтАЩs ilantha?тАЭ
 Edith paused. тАЬAn ilantha lies.тАЭ
тАЬHe tells lies? ThatтАЩs it?тАЭ
Edith nodded. тАЬItтАЩs important. He lies constantly. He lies any time he
can possibly get away with it. ThatтАЩs all the time, nearly enough. All
ilantha do it. Oh, if you ask one what color the sky is, heтАЩll tell you itтАЩs
green because you can check on that too easily. But if he can lie with any
possibility of getting away with it, he will. Without fail.тАЭ
McAleer shook his head. тАЬBut why? It doesnтАЩt make sense.тАЭ
тАЬYes, it does. You donтАЩt know enough yet. ThereтАЩs also this: The other
group, the yerega, is just the opposite. They always tell the truth. All the
merchants in the town square are yerega; the Troof wouldnтАЩt have it any
other way. Ilantha are, generally speaking, farmers, ranchers and hunters.
It doesnтАЩt matter if you lie a lot if you can produce crops and game.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt get it, IтАЩm afraid,тАЭ McAleer said. тАЬHow did all this come
about?тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs the religion, Father,тАЭ Edith answered. тАЬIt makes a certain kind of
sense, actually. The yerega believe that telling the truth shames the devil
тАФ itтАЩs not the devil, really, but the idea is close enough тАФ while the ilantha
believe that telling lies misleads him. Both sects take it all very seriously.тАЭ
тАЬSo Zweebl is ilantha,тАЭ McAleer said. тАЬAll right. But I still donтАЩt see why
thatтАЩs important, or what that has to do with me.тАЭ